Meet Michael Thompson, a journalist, producer, media executive, and author of the novel How To Be Remembered. He shares his journey from being a journalist to becoming a published novelist, his inspiration behind his unique book premise, tackling numerous rejections, the movie deal for his novel, his writing process, and advice for aspiring writers wanting to break into the world of publishing.
You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.
00:01 Introduction and updates
04:53 Writing tip: Understanding your writing style
08:40 Win ‘First Lie Wins’ by Ashley Elston
10:30 Word of the week: plethoric
13:55 Interview with Michael Thompson
15:33 Michael's writing journey
24:20 Writing the first draft
24:56 Securing a book deal
25:57 The journey of rejection and persistence
26:55 Securing a literary agent and getting published
27:28 Feedback and revision process
29:24 The joy of finally getting published
29:52 Dealing with rejections
32:53 The excitement of film adaptation
35:06 Translation and global reach
40:42 Balancing writing and podcasting
43:11 Tips for aspiring writers
Links mentioned in this episode
- Reinvent Yourself
- Fiction Essentials
- WIN First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
- Buy So You Want to be a Writer – the book!
- Facebook group for So You Want to be a Writer
Writer in residence: Michael Thompson
Michael Thompson has been a journalist, producer and media executive for the last fifteen years. He now co-owns a podcast production company called Fear and Greed – home of Australia’s most popular business podcast. He lives in Sydney with his wife, two young children, a black and white cat, and his beloved lawn. How to Be Remembered is Michael’s first novel.
He loves speaking about books and writing, and is always keen to hear from book clubs!
Follow Michael on Twitter and Instagram.
Follow Allen & Unwin on Twitter and Instagram.
This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Write Your Novel.
Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).